Council Votes to Keep City Dump Open Until July 1
Culminating months of debate over the future of the last city-owned dump, the Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to extend by five months the life of the Lopez Canyon Landfill before closing it July 1.
The decision, which was reached after a chaotic three-hour hearing, was a compromise that attempted to satisfy landfill neighbors who complain about the dump’s odors and traffic, and city officials who say it is the city’s cheapest trash disposal option.
Public works officials had recommended a one-year extension, citing studies that say the annual cost of hauling the city’s trash to private landfills is about $8 million.
To make up for the extra cost of diverting trash to private dumps after July 1, the council tentatively adopted an “extra capacity” fee for residents who request extra trash containers.
The city currently charges nothing for an additional 30-gallon trash container but sanitation officials proposed a $5-per-month fee for the extra containers.
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